From Tree to Table E-Book

Alan Garbers

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2021

Seitenzahl: 191

Beschreibung

Discover how to build rustic furniture from cut timber in this comprehensive guide for woodworkers. Award-winning outdoor writer and photographer Alan Garbers shows how to use raw logs to make stylish eco-friendly pieces. Alan provides detailed, practical information on procuring and processing logs, with sage troubleshooting advice based on years of experience. Learn which species look best with the bark on, and which work better with the bark off. Find out why wood may shrink, warp, or crack, and how to deal with rot, decay, and insects. Get expert guidance on all the woodworking techniques you need to know, from steam bending and joinery to sanding, gluing, and finishing. From Tree to Table offers instructions for making charming cabin-style beds, tables, benches, lamps, coat racks, kiva ladders, and more.

Leseprobe

© 2019 by Alan Garbers and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Fox Chapel Publishers, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

ISBN 978-1-60765-646-3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Garbers, Alan, author.

Title: From tree to table / Alan Garbers.

Description: Mount Joy, PA : Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., [2019] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018045954 (print) | LCCN 2018046731 (ebook) | ISBN 9781607656463 (ebook) | ISBN 9781565239821 (softcover)

Subjects: LCSH: Rustic woodwork--Amateurs' manuals. | Furniture making--Amateurs' manuals. | Country furniture--Amateurs' manuals.

Classification: LCC TT195 (ebook) | LCC TT195 .G39 2019 (print) | DDC 684.1--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018045954

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free1-800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

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Printed in SingaporeFirst printing

Because working with wood and other materials inherently includes the risk of injury and damage, this book cannot guarantee that creating the projects in this book is safe for everyone. For this reason, this book is sold without warranties or guarantees of any kind, expressed or implied, and the publisher and the author disclaim any liability for any injuries, losses, or damages caused in any way by the content of this book or the reader’s use of the tools needed to complete the projects presented here. The publisher and the author urge all readers to thoroughly review each project and to understand the use of all tools before beginning any project.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

INTRODUCTION

PART 1: GETTING STARTED

CHAPTER 1:Getting Ideas and Finding Inspiration

CHAPTER 2:Safety First

CHAPTER 3:Styles of Furniture

CHAPTER 4:Logs

CHAPTER 5:Peeling Bark

CHAPTER 6:Why Wood Shrinks, Warps, and Cracks

CHAPTER 7:Found Wood

CHAPTER 8:Bark On or Bark Off?

CHAPTER 9:Working with Logs

CHAPTER 10:Insects—Friend or Foe?

CHAPTER 11:Drying Wood

CHAPTER 12:Finding Nature’s Gifts

CHAPTER 13:Steam Bending

CHAPTER 14:Fastening/Joining Wood

CHAPTER 15:Finishing Your Artwork

CHAPTER 16:Portable Band Saw Mills

CHAPTER 17:Glue and Gluing

CHAPTER 18:Sanding

CHAPTER 19:Workstations

CHAPTER 20:The Basics of Making Furniture

PART 2: BUILDING THE FURNITURE

CHAPTER 21:Building a Slab Bench

CHAPTER 22:Making a Rustic Framed Mirror

CHAPTER 23:Rustic Coat Rack

CHAPTER 24:Making Tables

CHAPTER 25:Rustic and Log Lamps

CHAPTER 26:Building a Quilt or Rug Ladder

CHAPTER 27:Building Beds

CHAPTER 28:Tips, Tricks, and Techniques

CHAPTER 29:Making Money from Scraps

RECOMMENDED READING

GLOSSARY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PHOTO CREDITS

FOREWORD

My education in the area of making rustic and log furniture came from the College of Hard Knocks. As I was going through each lesson in life, I realized how little information was available about this subject. As I suffered setback after setback, I kept thinking, someone should write a book about this stuff so other folks won’t have to endure the pain and suffering I went through. I finally decided I should write this book.

I don’t have a fancy studio or gallery, but I have sold and traded my furniture to countless folks across North America. I have even traded my artwork in logs for two free fishing trips in Canada.

Unlike some craftsmen I have encountered, I want to share my experience with you. I want you to succeed and make beautiful furniture. So here it is, from my garage to yours.

Happy building!

INTRODUCTION

Why Rustic and Log Furniture?

There are many reasons why folks love rustic and log furniture.

For some of us, the deep earthy colors of a hickory chair or table is a visual reminder of a family vacation to the wilderness of the Northwoods, of the wild open western United States, of one of the many gorgeous National Park lodges, like those at the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or Yosemite. If you paid attention, you’d recognize the familiar basket-weave pattern of hickory used by Old Hickory Furniture. Old Hickory Furniture was manufactured in Martinsville, Indiana, for generations, and Martinsville has been my home for over two decades.

Others may have fallen in love with a piece of locally handcrafted furniture while at a remote hunting or fishing lodge. I think about the clatter of golden aspen leaves in a light breeze while hunting up north when I think about rustic settings. I think of our adventures in the mountains in Arizona, or of bear hunting and muskie fishing in Canada every time I use a piece of aspen.

Some may want to commemorate an old house, shed, or barn from a family homestead by using recycled material from them. For example, I have a bookshelf I made from wood I had been squirreling away from various locations in which we lived over the decades. Some of the wood came from an old shed on a ranch we lived on in Mancos, Colorado. I had used the shed as a blind when hunting for mule deer.

Some of the weathered planks came from an old dump near Hillside, Arizona, that I scavenged from as I drove back and forth from Prescott to a large copper mine in the middle of nowhere.

This bookshelf is a visual compilation of my woodworking life. Pieces of it came from shed, barns, and dumps in Colorado, Arizona, and Indiana. The back is rusted corrugated roofing.

Other boards came from an old shed that I used to make maple syrup in here in Indiana. Along with spending hundreds of hours boiling down syrup, I also learned to play guitar while tending the fire under the evaporator in that shed.

The back is rusted brown corrugated sheet metal from an old hog shed that was tumbling down at another place where we lived, where deer and turkey walked through our yard and coyotes serenaded us at night.

I’d intended to give the bookshelf away, but as I built it, and pulled piece after piece down out of the storage in the rafters, I realized I was making a visual reminder of all the places I had fond memories of. The bookcase was a piece of me, and I of it. I realized I couldn’t part with it. The bookcase sits next to me now as I write this.

CHAPTER 1GETTING IDEAS AND FINDING INSPIRATION

For me, getting ideas was never difficult; implementing them has always been the hard part. If you are short on ideas, travel to a state or national park that has a lodge or inn. Almost without exception, they will have log furniture placed in the lobby or other common areas.

Lodges, hotels, and shops are a fantastic place to get ideas for rustic and log furniture. It’s a great way to see how other craftsman made their artwork.

I strongly recommend stopping at every rustic and log furniture store you see. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, is almost overrun with log furniture outlets and makers, as are other tourist destinations. Go into any Bass Pro Shop or Cabela’s and you’ll see countless pieces of log furniture. Take pictures if they allow it. You can’t help going away with hundreds of ideas on how to replicate or improve on the furniture you saw.

In some cases, you might think that a piece is too complex to make. It might be, right now. But, as you gain experience (and accrue tools), things that were impossible become possible. In some cases, you might walk away emboldened, thinking, “Heck, I can do better than that!” And you’re right, you probably can.

If you still need inspiration, find a copy of Rustic Artistry for the Home by Ralph Kylloe. The book is filled cover-to-cover with photos of beautiful log and rustic creations.

Visit living history museums like Cades Cove in Tennessee or Conner Prairie in Indiana. Pioneers made many of their necessities from what was available in the woods and all they had invested was time. The Foxfire series of books documents much of the commonplace knowledge that is fading from society. Among the many topics in the series is making rustic furniture the Appalachian way and even building a lumber kiln.

Why Not Buy Log Furniture?

I know why I don’t buy every piece of log furniture I fall in love with: I’m not made of money. And, as a woodworker, I always think I can make something like it or better. But, we have bought some items, mainly because there’s no way I could build the piece for the price they were asking, nor did I have the time or tools to make it. Let’s face it, most of us don’t have unlimited space for the ultimate workshop, nor do we have tons of spare time. In some cases, I have to face reality, go against every fiber of my being, and let somebody else do the work for me.

Think Like an Artist but Build Like a Machinist

Log and twigs lend themselves well to whimsical creations. Let your mind flow with the possibilities and reach for the stars. But while doing that, realize things have to hold together and work as desired.

Machinists are very precise. They don’t machine anything without a blueprint on how to make it. Every cut and dimension is drawn out long before the mill or lathe is started. A table has to be level. A chair has to sit properly. A coat rack can’t fall over when a heavy coat is hung upon it. So, while being creative, also plan it out like a machinist, and make sure it’s going to work right before you make the first cut. Start by making a simple drawing of what you want to make. Figure out how tall, wide, and long the piece needs to be to fill the need.

When I say build like a machinist, what I’m saying is to plan the work before cutting, then work the plan while building.

As you read this book, you’ll find I repeat myself at times. That’s because I know most of you are like me and don’t start reading a how-to book at the beginning. We flip through the pages until we find the topic we want to read. So, if I felt one topic was important to know while covering another topic, I went over it again so you won’t miss something.

You’re welcome.

CHAPTER 2SAFETY FIRST

Everything about this hobby is dangerous. Life’s tough; get a helmet. I’m serious, you should be wearing a hard hat when logging or transporting materials. These days such items are called PPE, which stands for Personal Protective Equipment. PPE is the minimum safeguards you need to stay safe. You owe it to your family to put them on each and every time.

Chain saw chaps and a hard hat—required PPE for working in the woods. The chaps are made from special fibers that stop a chain saw dead if an accident should happen.

Safety in the Woods

Let’s think about this. We’re using a chain saw that can cut a leg off without even bogging down. The trees we’re cutting can weigh enough to crush us like a bug. Trees don’t always fall the way we want or act the way we want. Look up as you walk through the woods. Often you’ll see broken limbs, dead branches, or heavy vines hanging high above you. One wrong move and they can come crashing down. They don’t call them widow-makers for nothing. They don’t have to kill you to ruin your day or even your life.

If you’re operating a chain saw, you should be wearing chain saw chaps at the very least. Chain saw chaps are made of special fibers that bind a chain saw blade and kill the engine, hopefully before it cuts you. They are cheap insurance.

Wear a hard hat. Remember what I said before? I can’t tell you how many times things, large and small, have hit me as I worked in the woods. Every time I wonder, where in the heck did that come from? An accident is an accident because you weren’t planning on it happening. If you were planning on it, then it would be an “on purpose.” That’s deep, isn’t it? You can mess with fate and wear a hard hat on purpose in case an accident happens.

Wear goggles. You’re in the woods, a place filled with swarming bugs that seem attracted to sweat-stained eyes. Let’s not forget the branches that somehow find their way to your eye level as you turn your head or stand up. Chain saws throw out wood chips like a beaver on a cocktail of steroids and antidepressants. If you’re not wearing eye protection, stuff is going to get in your eyes. Squinting your eyes is not protection. Prescription glasses are not going to save you either.

Wear work gloves. Hey, there’s a lot of splinters in this line of work, but more importantly, there’s also a lot of poison ivy, biting ants, scorpions, spiders, thorns, stickers, fangs, spines, and a zillion other things just waiting to plunge into your flesh if you don’t take precautions.

Lastly, wear ear protection. Chain saws are loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss. Do I really need to go into all the reasons why you want to preserve your hearing? How about the clatter of aspens, or the whisper of pines, or the bugle of an elk? How about the “I love you” whispered as a child falls to sleep, or your soul mate’s intimate desires as you lie close to each other? ’Nuff said.

Always check around you before cutting trees. Loose branches and widow-makers can ruin your day.

Safety in the Shop

There isn’t a tool made that can’t be misused or abused somehow. Woodworking by its very nature is dangerous. We all need to follow safety guidelines.

1.Keep your tools in good condition. Dull saws, knives, and chisels force us to apply more force than normal. When something slips, things go bad real quick.

2.Keep cords in good shape. The grounding blade is there for a reason, so don’t cut it off. Replace frayed or damaged cords.

3.Keep the floor clean. Remove any trip hazards or roll hazards. (Sticks and log remnants have a tendency to roll under your feet.) Wet sawdust causes mold.

4.Beware explosion hazards. Just about any finish or stain available has a flash point. If you read the label, it most likely says to keep away from open flames. Do I need to remind you that almost all gas water heaters, dryers, stoves, and furnaces have an open flame?

5.Keep the dust down or eliminated. Few people realize wood dust is explosive, and a wood shop explosion can blow the doors and windows out of a shop, or even lift the roof. Have a good dust collection system that is properly grounded, or work outside.

6.Beware of exotic woods. Some exotic woods cause respiratory issues or contact dermatitis. Even common hardwoods can cause problems. I get a headache after working in an enclosed shop for too long, so I move my gear outside when possible.

7.Beware knots and defects in the wood. Knots can come loose or explode when going through a surface planer, or when being cut by a saw. I had one hickory knot explode with such force that it broke blades off the dust fan and blew a hole in the side of the plastic blower housing on my surface planer.

Safety in Your Products

It’s a litigation-happy world out there, so don’t leave yourself open for a lawsuit by building something dangerous. Years ago, a gallery had a footstool (that someone else made) that used deer antlers as the legs and a cross-section of a log for the seat. It was so top heavy that if someone walked near it, it would fall over, exposing the sharp antler tines like punji sticks. Imagine what would have happened if a child tried to sit on it.

Plan your projects to use materials and fasteners that are appropriate for the task. Plan to have 400-pound (180 kg) people sitting on your benches and chairs. The logs can take it, but can your design or fasteners?

Let’s talk about beds. Think of all the activities that happen in a bed. You know what I mean. Can your bed stand up to the rigors of two large people enjoying life? Again, the logs can handle it, but can your design handle the stress?

Your products and artwork have to stand the rigors of normal and abnormal use and abuse without hurting someone.

CHAPTER 3STYLES OF FURNITURE

Not all log furniture is the same. Different regions of the country have developed different styles. Almost all of these styles are rooted in the materials available locally.

Northwoods

Much of the furniture found in the North and Northeast rely heavily on birch, and for good reason. Birch has beautiful white bark that can be used as a veneer on furniture. The dark twigs have a distinctive pattern of lenticels that match the lenticel pattern on the birch bark itself.

This Northwoods style of furniture is generally more graceful and complex than other styles. It has been a favorite of furniture lovers for a hundred years or more.

Northwoods-styled furniture is often dominated by birch bark and smaller-diameter wood pieces. The rocker on the left appears to be a more elegant birch and maple combination characteristic of Northwoods pieces.

Midwestern

In the Midwest, hickory is the dominant wood used for furniture. While there are several species of hickory, all have appealing bark patterns that are adored by rustic furniture lovers around the country. Visit just about any lodge in national or state parks and you’ll most likely find examples of hickory furniture, some still in use after generations. Old Hickory Furniture in Shelbyville, Indiana, is still producing high-quality pieces to this day.

Hickory dominates pieces that come from the Midwest. The classic bark pattern is very appealing and rugged.

Western

Western log furniture is often made with massive aspen logs, western junipers, and pines. Opposite of the log furniture made in the eastern U.S., western furniture is often oversized, as if to mirror the vastness of the West.

Since the humidity is so low in the western U.S., rot and termites are much less likely to destroy downed wood when compared to the humid eastern U.S. In the arid west, downed wood often dries before damage can set in. As the wood weathers, it takes on a great hue and texture. Artists in the field often use these twisted and weathered wood pieces in their furniture, as well as elk and deer antlers as accents.

Aspen logs that show signs of insect distress dominate the lodges throughout the western United States. It’s easy to see why they’re so popular.

Southwestern

The furniture history of the Southwest is a rich tapestry. The Spanish colonized parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the 1500s. The travel route to bring up their belongings from Mexico was more than a thousand miles long over treacherous terrain, so furniture from civilization was limited.

As settlers moved west, they too had little in the way for furniture. At the same time, items that were shipped west were packed in wooden crates and boxes. It was a rare thing that any of the lumber from the crates went unused. It is well documented in journals that crates were pressed into service as almost anything that pioneers needed. Arbuckle’s Coffee came in 100-pound (45 kg) crates, which were coveted for their lumber and used for anything from kitchen cabinets to coffins. In the late 1800s, the majority of coffee sold in Arizona was Arbuckle’s brand coffee.

The Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, Arizona, has an extensive collection of furniture pieces from the pioneer era. Many of them are made of crate and box lumber.

As dude ranches became popular in the early 1900s, folks scrambled for anything western in style. Furniture often included cattle horns and leather.

These days, Southwestern style encompasses the rich tapestry of the culture and includes elements from the Native American, Spanish, pioneer, and ranching influences. Since the woods found can be so diverse, they often include everything from juniper and ponderosa to creosote and saguaro wood.

CHAPTER 4LOGS

Log and rustic furniture require—Mr. Obvious here—logs. But what logs should you use? It depends on what is available. If you live in Florida, you’re not going to have access to western juniper. If you live in Arizona, hickory isn’t an option. Your project will have to be made with what is available in your area. I have lived in more states than I care to mention, including the state of confusion. As a result, I have worked with more woods than some of you might have, so I’ll share my thoughts.

Crowded woods cause trees to rapidly reach for the sun, resulting in saplings that are perfect for furniture.

Finding Logs

Sometimes finding logs is the hardest part. Sure, it may be easy to find logs in general, but what if you want to make a red cedar bed? Or a hickory bed? Or a sassafras bed? Or an aspen bed? You get the idea. And, since most builders want their products to be symmetrical—meaning the legs to be close to the same diameter and shape—it will take more trees than you can imagine to make one bed. If you don’t own property with a good selection of trees, you’re in trouble.

There are ways to find logs, if you’re enterprising:

✓ The first way to find logs is to know someone that has lots of land with a huge selection of trees. Generally, if you ask politely and explain what you’re working on, they will allow you to cut a few trees. Now, you might need to resort to a little bribery. In the past, I have been known to offer to make a piece of log furniture in exchange for access to their trees. No one can resist a free table or headboard from trees cut from their own woods. One such trade netted me truckload after truckload of logs.

✓